Key gauges remain in green in morning deals

Indian equity benchmarks continued to trade in green in morning deals, helped by buying in blue-chip bank stocks and a firm trend in global markets. Traders took support with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that India recorded a ‘remarkable growth’ of 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 despite global disruptions, and against all odds, remains the fastest-growing major economy in the world. However, gains remain capped as a survey showed the HSBC India Services PMI was revised lower to 54.1 in August 2026 from a preliminary estimate of 54.5, following a final reading of 53.3 in the previous month, which was the weakest expansion since early 2022. 

Both Sensex and Nifty were trading in green led by gains in Realty, Banking and PSU stocks. Foreign fund inflows also added to markets optimism. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net buyers, purchasing equities worth Rs 6,688.37 crore on Wednesday. On the global front, Asian markets were trading mostly in green following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight, amid optimism over the outlook for interest rates even amid concerns about global inflation risks after a report showed weaker than expected US private sector job growth. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 76799.80, up by 229.45 points or 0.30% after trading in a range of 76705.02 and 76924.48. There were 15 stocks advancing against 15 stocks declining on the index.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were Realty up by 2.27%, Bankex up by 0.85%, PSU up by 0.75%, Industrials up by 0.72% and Capital Goods up by 0.62%, while IT down by 0.84%, TECK down by 0.54%, FMCG down by 0.20%, Consumer Durables down by 0.20% and Healthcare down by 0.16% were the top losing indices on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were HDFC Bank up by 1.55%, Adani Ports &SEZ up by 1.40%, Axis Bank up by 1.39%, ICICI Bank up by 1.36% and Eternal up by 1.10%. On the flip side, HCL Technologies down by 1.18%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.08%, Infosys down by 0.94%, Interglobe Aviation down by 0.79% and TCS down by 0.77% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, NITI Aayog Member Abhay Karandikar has said that India must urgently reassess its green finance frameworks and invest in developing a robust nuclear workforce to achieve its ambitious target of 100 gigawatt (GW) nuclear capacity by 2047. He emphasized that policy reforms and capacity building are critical to unlocking private and global investment in the nuclear sector.

India's sovereign green bond, RBI green deposit, and SEBI green debt securities frameworks currently exclude nuclear energy, he said while calling for their review to enable nuclear access to green finance, echoing global shifts by institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

He also highlighted the urgent need to develop specialised nuclear education and skills, noting that NITI Aayog has set up a committee to chart a roadmap for capacity building at all levels. He said strong talent is essential for sustainable sectoral growth. India has 25 operational nuclear reactors spread across seven sites, with a total capacity of about 8.8 GW.  With projects underway and new reactors planned, capacity is projected to reach nearly 22 GW by 2032.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 24000.85, up by 86.40 points or 0.36% after trading in a range of 23955.35 and 24025.40. There were 27 stocks advancing against 23 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Coal India up by 1.62%, HDFC Bank up by 1.48%, State Bank of India up by 1.45%, Adani Ports &SEZ up by 1.45% and ICICI Bank up by 1.42%. On the flip side, Interglobe Aviation down by 1.33%, Tech Mahindra down by 1.20%, HCL Technologies down by 1.16%, Infosys down by 1.04% and Eicher Motors down by 1.02% were the top losers.

Asian markets were trading mostly in green; Nikkei 225 surged 26.36 points or 0.04% to 64,352.00, Taiwan Weighted added 130.01 points or 0.28% to 46,294.73, Jakarta Composite gained 69.47 points or 1.05% to 6,665.25, Shanghai Composite strengthened 13.48 points or 0.34% to 3,954.87, KOSPI increased 73.36 points or 1.12% to 6,636.08 and Straits Times rose 31.07 points or 0.54% to 5,775.18.

On the flip side, Hang Seng declined 20.21 points or 0.08% to 25,291.00.